Taking the hunting suitability of both breeds into consideration, I decided to choose for a direct compromise between the two breeds, this being - the growth of a new breed. The Scottish Terrier is a completely pigmented dog and has the advantage of not being noticeable in the hunt compared to the pure white Sealyham Terrier. The Sealyham, however, has the advantage of dropped ears (these do not become soiled by the earth). It was already apparent in the first litter, that the small erect ears of the Scottish Terrier combined with the large dropped ears of the Sealyham led to a larger, usually erect, or poor dropped ear (rose-eared) - see the bitch 'Baba Lovu Zdar'. In the first litter, there was only 1 dog with dropped ears. This was 'Balda Lovu Zdar'. The crossing of this dog with a Scottish bitch (its mother), resulted in the next litter having one bitch with dropped ears (Diana Lovu Zdar). This bitch crossed with the Sealyham dog (Jasans Amorous Arttylerymann) inherited down dropped ears to all the offspring (2 dogs and 1 bitch) - see Fantom, Furiant and Fenka Lovu Zdar. The original streaked hair colour ( of the Scottish Terrier), was replaced by an all-black colour or a black with markings (black and tan). Markings are typical for all Sealyham Terriers which indicates that the body surface contains very little pigment. The Sealyham has the tendency to lighten black pigment (also the brown), this is inherited from an ancestor - the Dandie Dinmont Terrier. This results in the pups of the CT either being born all-black or black with markings *(see standard). These animals eventually become grey (very often called blue) and because they also possess the gene for lightening yellow pigment (not meaning the brown pigment in this case), these markings later become light to nearly white. However, these should not be confused with the white markings on the collar and legs which are allowed in the standard. The black-grey colour is dominant over black with markings. In practice, it would appear that there are three sorts of grey tints prevalent in the CT - dark-grey, medium-grey, light-grey. The colour is hereditarily defined by pigment G (lightening of the black or brown pigment). By choosing the exact partners, the breeder can therefore determine the colour of the offspring. The colour is also stipulated in the standard as well as the shape and position of the ears. As I have mentioned earlier, trimming the Scottish and Sealyham Terrier is a difficult and time-consuming job. For that reason, I decided to use the shaving method. By giving preference to the animals with soft hair, (original breeds were wire-haired), the hair of the CT developed relatively soft. Another problem with the CT was the tail. The Scottish as well as the Sealyham Terrier are born with a long tail. By the Scottish Terrier, the tail remains long and the Sealyham Terrier is docked. It was my intention not to burden this breed with surgical measures and therefore decided not to dock the tails. The back-line of the CT is not straight, but rises slightly behind the elbows. The Ct must have a deep-rooted tail, which in resting position is worn pointing backwards in a slight bend. During activity or excitement, the tail may be carried higher, but never pulled over the back or rolled up *(see standard and information concerned). The most important condition for this new breed is that it is lighter (this has always been the case), and has a smaller chest size (approx. 45-50 cm). The chest must be more oval-shaped rather than deep. Because of this the dog gives the appearance of being higher-legged (but not too high) and must not be taller than 32 cm *(see table of sizes for the CT). weight is 9 kg. The desired hunting qualities of the CT are especially that they are easy to train, have a good nose and to have no fear of the game during conflict. The CT matures later and reaches a good age. From the beginning, great attention has been given to the hunting qualities while breeding these dogs. The animals were tested for the hunt (mainly in the forest) where they had to prove easy to train, individually as well as in groups, to have a good nose, to indicate game and have a good endurance ability. By the tracking down of game, a perfect and resolute sense of trailing had to be proved. Many a Hunt-Club can tell positive things about these activities.

Meet Mr. Frantisek Horak, the Cesky Terrier breed originator, with one of his top Cesky Terriers, Yonk Lovu Zdar. This photo was taken at his home outside of Prague in the Czech Republic.

Mr. Horak was extremely dedicated to this wonderful breed. A man full of wisdom and love, he developed the Cesky Terrier primarily for hunting purposes, sturdiness, but most importantly, health & temperament.

We thank Mr. Horak for his years of work, dedication, love of the CT, and his always extended "helping hand".